Tuesday, 28 November 2017

history of mental health


Prehistoric treatments = trepanning of skulls, drilling holes to 'let demons out' in 1550 BC, Egypt

Ancient greeks said mental disorders were a result of imbalances of fluids in the body, so they would train blood to treat people

Until the 19th century, no provision for mental illnesses existed, just prisons or madhouses

In 1774 there was the Mad House Act, where country asylums and lunatic asylums were overcrowded way into the 20th century

The practice of public viewing of madhouses continued to 1815

Modern psychiatric treatments in the 20th century consisted of insulin, electroconvulsive therapy, and lobotomies (ECT is still used) 

The 1st antipsychotic drug was chloropromazine, then talking therapy was introduced, followed by asylums closing in the 70's and community health services such as the NHS coming to the United Kingdom


Defining 'normal' behaviour

Statistically infrequent = behaviour being generally unpopular and considered abnormal. This isn't a sufficient measure for diagnosing abnormality

Deviation from social norms = behaviour departing from what our culture/society does, seen as unacceptable

Maladaptiveness = ways of thinking and emotional responses as well as behaviour that is either dangerous of prevents us from functioning in daily life, e.g. OCD

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